“PERPETUALLY 10:30”
In my journey to work each morning, I pass a large clock that has been stuck at the hour of 10:30 for several weeks. Whether it stopped in the morning or in the evening, I don’t know, but I look each day to see if time is still standing still or moving again; it seems to me a fitting metaphor of the times in which we live.
All seasons of life bear within them the potential to feel as if they last an inordinate amount of time, most keenly felt if we regard them as such. Even momentary inconveniences have this possibility. The wait at a doctor’s office may actually be longer than we’d expected, but even if it’s only ten minutes it feels long. The same goes with waiting to be seated at a restaurant when your stomach is growling. Any time we wait for something we dread or need, or think we need or should dread, the wait seems to painfully linger.
The covid pandemic with its implications medically, at school and work, the sociopolitical turmoil of the past several years, and the open antagonism against Christian values has left many people truly stuck, clamoring to find their way through a dark and dismal landscape. I’ve heard many people refer to this period in our history as if time is standing still, each day a bad copy of the one before. But before we resign ourselves to a defeatist view of life, let’s be sure we have all our facts straight; God is still sovereign, undeterred by what might seem impossible.
The good news is that the time is, in fact, not perpetually 10:30! Psalm 19:2 tells us that God’s work is full - from day to night. The clock of life is ticking by fast, and God’s purposes will be accomplished, whether the human clock looks to be suspended in time or not. The prayers you pray matter. The way in which you conduct your life with integrity at home and at work matters. To live in drudgery, eking out a mundane existence, is not how God intended us to live. He came to bring us an abundant, joyful life. We can have joy in the same hour we have sorrow – those two things can absolutely mutually exist and it’s only because of Jesus. He gives us the wise perspective through our faith in Him that He sits in control of the worst of circumstances and will bring beauty out of the ashes.
If you are feeling stuck, I strongly encourage you to devote more time to reading God’s Word. It will be life to you! The more you read and study His Word and devote yourself to prayer, you will feel the comfort of the scriptures that will empower you to live a confident, vibrant life. Without His Word, you are walking around hungry all the time. The same goes for prayer. Maybe we’ve heard these things for so long that it just rolls right off us, but please hear me today: you need to read and study your Bible! 😊
Whatever rut you may find yourself in today, please don’t despair. If you’ve prayed for someone or some situation for a very long time, keep praying! God is always at work, even when we don’t see things moving in the direction we’d like. God will meet your needs and is already at work in your life in so many ways you can’t even fathom.
The most beautiful thing in all this talk about time is that God is not bound by time! He transcends time and space because He is Almighty God. We’re told in Isaiah 55:8, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” I only want to trust Him because I know on the authority of God’s Word that He can be trusted.
Let’s confess our wrong thinking to God and then commit to seeing Him at work in all things, not delayed but always at work. As I was reading God’s Word this morning, I looked for a scripture with the reference 10:30 and look what God showed me! Matthew 10:30, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Praise the Lord! He sees us, He loves us, and we can trust Him!
Blessings & Peace,
Scarlett Goodman
